Drag Queen 'Last Supper' at Olympics Opening Ceremony Stirs Controversy Among Christians

 A dance troupe's performance at the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony has provoked widespread outrage among Christians worldwide after appearing to parody Jesus and the Last Supper.

The ceremony, held on Friday along the Seine River in Paris, marked the first time in Olympic history that the event took place outside a stadium. The festivities included performances by singers Celine Dion and Lady Gaga and featured a parade of nations.

However, controversy erupted when an 18-member dance troupe, including three queens from "Drag Race France," struck poses behind a table reminiscent of the Last Supper, with the Eiffel Tower in the background. At the center of the table was a dancer adorned with a silver headdress resembling a halo, reminiscent of the iconic depiction by Leonardo da Vinci. The dancer smiled and made a heart shape with her hands as the troupe performed a choreographed routine.

Clint Russel, host of the Liberty Lockdown podcast, criticized the performance on X, stating, “Opening your event by replacing Jesus and the disciples at the Last Supper with men in drag is outrageous. With 2.4 billion Christians globally, it seems the Olympics wanted to declare loudly from the outset that they are not welcome.”

The Last Supper, as described in the Gospel accounts, is the final meal Jesus shared with his apostles before his crucifixion, commemorated by Christians on Holy Thursday and forming the basis for the Eucharist.

Paris 2024 organizers defended the performance as an “interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus,” intended to highlight “the absurdity of violence between human beings.”

The ceremony, which was watched by millions worldwide, marked the official start of the Summer Games, concluding on August 11. This performance occurred just days after the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral, which had been damaged by a fire in 2019.

In response, French bishops expressed regret over what they described as “scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity,” and appreciated the support from other religious communities. “We hope that Christians around the world understand that the Olympic celebration extends beyond the ideological preferences of some artists,” they said.

Archbishop Charles Scicluna conveyed his “distress” and “great disappointment” to the French ambassador from Malta, denouncing the performance as an insult to Christians. Bishop Andrew Cozzens, chair of the U.S. Bishops' Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, called for Catholics to respond with prayer and fasting, condemning the depiction as “heinous.”

Several French politicians also criticized the performance. Marion Marechal, a member of the European Parliament and a practicing Catholic, stated that the act was carried out by a “minority of the [political] left ready for any provocation,” clarifying that it did not represent France as a whole...See More